The transportation of horses by air is now common place, particularly to and from the United States of America which is a center of excellence in the bloodstock industry. The reasons for this are many and include the increasingly attractive prizes offered for various horse races around the world, the transfer of horses between studs for breeding purposes, and movements resulting from ownership transfers.
The ever increasing high value of bloodstock dictates that great care should be taken during its transportation by air. However, to date, horses and other animals individually valued in millions of dollars have generally been transported in little more than large wooden crates regardless of their value, and little thought has been given to their comfort while in flight. Animals have in the past broken out of these crates during their transport, with consequent risk of injury or even death to the animal and possible damage to the conveying aircraft.
Thus, there is a considerable need for a well designed conveyance for use in the transportation of horses by air. Furthermore, it is desirable that these conveyances be capable of multi-functional use, such that they need not be transferred empty from one country to another merely to pick up livestock there, thus wasting valuable cargo space on the transferring plane or ship. Therefore, a conveyance designed for the transportation of horses and other livestock by air and capable of being converted into a freight container would be of great utility.